14 BIGGIE ORCHARD BOOK 



subsoil in such quantity and with such persistency as 

 to threaten "wet feet" to the trees? If the former, 

 seek another location ; if the latter^ make up your 

 mind to tile the field before setting the trees. There 

 are few orchards which are not the better for a sys- 

 tem of underground drains. Better do the necessary 

 tiling at the start, rather than later. Have the tile 

 buried three feet deep, and, if possible, lay it midway 

 between tree rows. 



Now let us consider the question of the "right 

 time." Generally speaking, early spring is the best 

 season to set an orchard. There are some exceptions 

 to this, of course. For instance : Sweet cherry trees 

 often grow better when set in the fall. Some of the 

 more hardy fruits apples, pears, etc., may be 

 planted in autumn, if desired. Latitude has much 

 to do with this question. The farther south you are, 

 the safer it is to practise fall planting. 



In the north, however, it is seldom wise to set 

 tender trees, like peaches or plums, until spring; 

 therefore the best rule I can give to the planter 

 who isn't an expert, is: Stick to spring planting. 

 Tim says that it's "better to be safe than sorry," 

 and I am sure he is not far wrong. 



But it is usually good policy to purchase trees in 

 the fall, ' ' heel ' ' them in near the proposed orchard, 

 and thus be ready for instant action when the ground 

 gets into workable shape in the spring. The fall 

 buyer gets first choice of trees, and runs no danger 

 of delayed spring shipments. Or, buy the trees in 

 the fall, and let the nurseryman keep them for you 

 until winter is over. 



